Everybody Loves Bob
by Random Guise
Summary: Short followup to the movie "Return to Me". Bob and Elizabeth were happily married until she died in a car accident. Her heart saved the life of Gracie, who through a twist of events met and fell in love with Bob. The end of the movie has them happily together, but what happened next? Can lightning strike twice? I don't own the movie characters or Mel the dog.


**A/N: Takes place about a year after Bob found Gracie in Italy in the move "Return to Me".**

* * *

Everybody Loves Bob

"I want to build you something" Bob Rueland said to his wife across the table. What remained of the breakfast had gotten cold, but apart from picking up the occasional crumb neither noticed as they talked.

"A birdhouse would be nice" Gracie Rueland answered, smiling and pretending to look intently out the window.

"Anybody can build a birdhouse; I think Mel could do it if you gave him enough time." At the sound of his name the American Bulldog raised his head, looked for either food or attention, then dropped it again as he lay on the floor beside the table. "Besides, I don't design birdhouses. I design _real_ buildings."

"They're real to the birds" she kidded, dodging a piece of toast Bob tossed at her. Mel scrambled to his feet and cleaned up the missed shot before it even stopped skidding on the hardwood. The crumbs disappeared, leaving only a trail of slobber that was his true super power. If he was disappointed there was no jam on the toast, he showed no signs of it.

"I would love to design and build something that you really care about. I did it for Elizabeth, and I want to do the same for you." Elizabeth was Bob's deceased wife, killed in an auto accident after a fundraiser for her true passion, a new gorilla house at the zoo in Chicago. But while she died, the donation of her heart saved the life of Gracie Briggs. Quite by chance, the two met and just clicked as if they had known each other before. They fell in love and all seemed well until Gracie discovered it was Elizabeth's heart she carried inside her; having kept the secret of her surgery from Bob, finding out who's it was proved to be too much and she fled to Italy to ease his discomfort after telling him the truth. Ultimately Bob decided that although he would miss his late wife the rest of his life, his life now was incomplete without Gracie and went to Italy to profess his love. As her grandfather had told him, "When she met you, her heart beat truly for the first time. Perhaps it was meant to be with you always." That was over a year ago.

"I love painting. You could build me an easel. No, wait!" she exclaimed as she used a plate to block the next bit of toast. Mel cleaned that up too; it was turning out to be a really good morning for him. His ears twitched and he stood at attention.

"What is it Mel?" Bob asked. He didn't even get a chance to guess because the doorbell rang. The young couple got up from the table and made their way to the front door. Bob opened it, revealing a woman he recognized. "Joy?"

"Hi Bob, can I come in?" she asked somewhat hesitantly.

"Sure, come on in. This is my wife Gracie, and I think you've met Mel before." Mel trotted up and put his paws on her chest, licking her face. "Gracie, this is Joy...Andrews I think. She used to be a building inspector with the city, although I haven't seen you in a while" he ended by addressing Joy.

"No, I only recently came back to work. That's why I'm here; can I sit down please?" Bob led her over to the table and indicated a chair. Joy sat and uncomfortably fidgeted with her hands in her lap. She looked at Gracie. "Have we met?"

"Sure, just now."

"No, I mean before? You seem familiar" Joy pressed.

"I doubt it. I didn't get out for a long time, and about the only place I went was my Grandfather's restaurant O'Reilly's. Have you been there?" Gracie asked.

"Never even heard of it, sorry. I guess we haven't, but I'd swear we have."

"What have you been doing, Joy?" Bob broke in. "When I saw you last you were sick or something."

"I was. I had to leave work because of dialysis. My kidneys were giving out and at one point it didn't look very good for me. I was able to get a transplant and get off that infernal machine and start living again."

"That's great. Were you looking for work at my construction company? I might be able to fit you in somewhere, I can always use another good head."

"What do you mean _another_ one, you'd have to have one already to start with" Gracie kidded.

"I already have another job; after my issues I started working for the hospital as a consultant. No, I'm here for another reason..." she trailed off.

"I'll go walk Mel" Gracie offered.

"No, please" Joy stood. "Stay. I don't know why, but I think you should hear this too. I...well...

"Yes?" Bob asked.

Joy cleared her throat. "Idon'tknowhowtosaythissoI'lljustsayitallatonceBobIhaveElizabeth'skidneys. Phew." She saw some water sitting on the table and drank it.

"That was a flower vase" Bob noted.

Joy coughed. Gracie ran over and clapped her on the back.

"Thanks."

"Wow" Bob said.

"Yeah" Joy added.

"So?" Gracie asked.

Joy shrugged. "I don't know. I feel so funny, but it's like something inside of me wants to be near Bob. Not sexual or anything, but I just seem to need to be around him. I tried to ignore the feeling, but when I accidentally snuck into the hospital files..."

"Accidentally?"

"I wouldn't have done it sober. But I found out last week, and finally got up the courage to tell you. What...can...I...doooo?" she started to cry.

Gracie gave her a comforting hug, and felt as though she were holding a sister she never knew she had. It just seemed right. "I'm not saying permanently, but Bob was just talking about what do to with the extra room upstairs..."

"Hey, I was talking about a man cave."

"...and it would just be temporary anyway. Bob, I've decided...I want you to build a guest house out back."

"Now wait a minute" Bob began. He liked Joy, sure, they always got along well. And maybe she needed a place to think things over...

The doorbell rang again.

"That would be Charlie" Bob said as he headed to the door. "We're supposed to go biking, remember?"

"Oh, I forgot!" Gracie apologized. "Maybe we can do it tomorrow; Joy needs our help."

Bob opened the door, but it wasn't his friend he had known for many years; Charlie's veterinary skills fit in well down at Elizabeth's zoo at it seemed like a pretty good friendship. When she died he was a great comfort, and if it hadn't been for him Bob wouldn't have met Gracie.

But someone else greeted him. Hat pulled down low, dark glasses, loose jacket and a scarf obscured the person's features

"Collecting for the Old Spy's Retirement Home?" he asked.

"Old Spice retirement home?" a muffled voice asked as the person attempted to sniff under their armpit.

"Nothing. What can I do for you?"

"Are you Bob Rueland?" the person asked, reading off a piece of paper.

"Yes. Do you have a summons or something?"

"No, but I need to talk to you. Can I come in out of the sun?"

It wasn't even the middle of the morning yet; okay, whoever it was was part vampire. "Sure, we're having a sort of party. I'll introduce you, just follow me" Bob sighed as he led the stranger into the house. "This is my wife Gracie, Joy, and Mel. Everyone, this is someone I don't know who just showed up at the door."

"My name's Megan" the newcomer offered.

"Hello Megan, would you care for a seat?" Gracie asked; Megan declined and continued to stand as she began unwrapping. Hat, scarf and jacket came off and were put in the chair. Megan was very thin, and after she removed her large sunglasses her face was obviously pale as well. "Do I know you Megan?"

"I doubt it. I've lived in Springfield most of my life. A couple of years ago my apartment building caught fire and a lot of people died."

"I remember that fire" Bob thought back. "That building was designed horribly. The construction company went out of business and no one ever got the blame for it."

"Yeah. I barely managed to get out, but got hurt doing it. I was transferred to the hospital's burn unit here in Chicago, but I wasn't doing too well until...well, it's easier just to show you." Megan turned around and lifted her blouse up, revealing her back. Most of it was a pinker tone than her own skin, with a thin border of scar tissue running around the perimeter.

"Does it hurt?" Gracie asked.

"No, it's okay now. Touch it if you want, it's okay."

Gracie walked up and lightly touched the skin. "Bob, tell me what you feel when you touch her back." Bob tried and withdrew his hand quickly.

"Weird. I definitely feel weird."

"The skin graft saved my life" Megan went on as she pulled her blouse back down and turned around. "I work as a janitor at the hospital now that I've gotten better, and last week somebody left a hospital file open..."

"Oops" Joy said.

"Uh oh" Gracie whispered.

"Wow" Bob uttered.

"RRrrrooo!" Mel said as he leaned against Megan.

"Yeah" Megan continued. "So I wanted to come over and thank you; I hope it doesn't freak you out or anything."

"It should, it really should; but it's been one of those days. Where do you live?" Bob inquired.

"In my car."

"You are NOT going to live in a car any more," Gracie stated flatly "you're part family." She put her hand to her mouth after she heard what she spoke. "I mean, I don't mean _parts_ part..."

Bob started to get a look and tried to get off of that thought. "What, now you're going to put bunk beds up there?" The doorbell rang again. "Maybe she can stay with Charlie and his family" he said, wondering how he was going to con his friend into having a guest. He opened the door to see a bear of a man on the step.

The man rushed in and wrapped Bob in a crushing hug. He released Bob, leaving him a little oxygen deprived, before announcing "Dis man's wife gave me her liver soz I can live after I ruint mine and I aint never touched a drop since. Howard Finland" he said as he systematically hugged Gracie, Joy, Megan and Mel.

"Was there an article in the paper with my address and I just missed it?" Bob wondered out loud. He almost shut the door, then had an idea and opened it up and poked his head outside. A woman was coming up the walk after reading the address. Before she could reach the doorway Bob stuck out his hand. "Hi, I'm Bob Rueland. Go on in and introduce yourself; name and organ please."

An hour later, after Alicia had thanked him for his wife's corneas, Patricia with her new lung and somebody named Juanita with a new pancreas the impromptu convention was awash with conversation as oddly friendly strangers compared their life stories and innate kinship with Bob. He pulled Gracie to one side, which only kept the background noise to a dull roar. "Forget that guest house idea; I'm building you a dormitory."

The End

* * *

 **A/N: I just got around to seeing this movie, and although they concentrated on the heart transplant for the purposes of the film it occurred to me that other organs were probably donated too. What if they created a connection with Bob as well?**


End file.
